610: Chapter 610 Reaching the Summit

Lin Chuyan originally thought he would have to wait at least until "ne zha" finished its theatrical run, and the cinema chains felt the chill of empty theaters and real pressure before they would have the motivation to call him. He didn't expect that not even a full day had passed before they were already knocking on his door, unable to wait any longer.

Wu Yue called Lin Chuyan directly: "Fast, it's really fast. You were right, the company has received a lot of calls."

Lin Chuyan shrugged: "I took a quick look, the pre-sale box office for those new films isn't doing so well."

Wu Yue frowned: "A few films had early screenings a few days ago, and several production companies invited me to watch them."

"How were they?"

Wu Yue's tone was a bit helpless: "That's the scariest part. These films really can't be called trash, but the pre-sales just aren't selling well. I took a look, and the box office is about half of what it was during the same period last year."

Yanzi was no longer the naive, clueless little idol he was when he first debuted. He spoke eloquently: "In my opinion, this is the inevitable result after the domestic film market has been tossed around for so many years. Don't blame the audience. Isn't a few dozen yuan money? Wouldn't it be better to find a restaurant, get a group discount, and have a big meal? Why is it necessary to watch a movie? Besides, even if they aren't trash films, at best they are probably just 6-7 point movies on Douban, and the stories might even be cliché and not worth mentioning."

"You're quite grounded in reality, talking about group discounts and such."

"What kind of thing is that to say... It's not like I've never been poor."

"How does that saying go... 'Great writing comes from suffering'? I feel like this circle is about the same; many Singers can't write good songs after they've achieved fame and success."

"Yeah... but it should also be the result of a conscious choice; you can't blame others."

"What do you mean?"

Yanzi had seen a lot in the last two years and had many personal insights: "The idea that one can't write songs from the days of poverty after becoming successful is likely a false proposition. Here, 'success,' or more accurately, refers to 'moving away from the lives of ordinary people after becoming successful,' and thus being unable to think like ordinary people or write works that resonate more with the masses. But the question arises: Why must one inevitably move away from ordinary life after becoming rich? You don't even need to suffer; can't you just get close enough to feel it? As it happens, I'm not just a Singer, but also an actor, and actors need to be close to real life. My teacher is also rich, and he still lives an ordinary life in the village. Back then, he would take me to interact and chat with the villagers. Even now, when I go to visit him, he still takes me to the market to buy groceries... So, it's very likely that some people just don't have that intention at all."

Wu Yue nodded continuously as he listened: "That seems to be the logic?"

"Let me give you another example. Mr. Lu Xun's financial situation was quite good; he was always quite wealthy. But look at the content of his work? Apart from the decline of his family when he was young, the most important thing is that he later actively tried to understand and experience the living conditions of the lower-class people. He communicated with rickshaw pullers and servants, observed the predicaments they faced, and deeply understood their inner worlds... So, where do you think the problem really lies? 'Great writing comes from suffering'? I don't think so."

Wu Yue nodded incessantly: "Not bad, Xiao Yan, you really have done your research... Never forgetting your original intentions, very good, very good."

Lin Chuyan laughed: "Just listen to it casually; it's just my own random thoughts."

"You rascal!"

Returning to the main topic, the two aligned the details of the "ne zha" key extension bit by bit before hanging up.

And just like that, there was only one day between "ne zha" ending its run and being re-released.

Yanyu Animation didn't say a word, just posted a poster. The "ne zha" in the background of the poster occupied the entire frame, with the words "Key Extension" written in the middle, and a line of small text below saying "Extended Screening until December 30th" — this was the date set by Lin Chuyan, which happened to be right before the New Year's slot. Well, he planned to see what the quality of the New Year's films was like before deciding what the next step would be.

If the new films were awesome, "ne zha" would just finish its run and leave; if they were still like 'A Dou who cannot be helped'? Then sorry...

Although netizens saw this poster, they didn't take it seriously at first: You're a movie that has been out for almost two months, what can you do even if you extend the run? Once the new films arrive, you'll be swept away immediately, right? To be honest, it was a bit overestimating one's capabilities.

However, as the film continued to screen, those who had been following "ne zha" couldn't hold back for long.

For the first three days, the box office for "ne zha" ranked third. How should I put it? It seemed reasonable, right? On one hand, the others were new films, fresh on the scene, so it was normal for their box office to be higher than "ne zha"; on the other hand, "ne zha" was the third highest-grossing film in history that had just finished its run. Being able to beat those bottom-tier ones and rank third was quite impressive, right?

However, this "normal phenomenon" only lasted for three short days.

On the fourth day, "ne zha" surprisingly appeared in the number one spot on the box office charts.

On the fifth day, the sixth day... "ne zha" didn't plan to come down; it was truly leading by a large margin.

"No, why is "ne zha" number one again? Don't the other films have any dignity?"

"Damn, I suddenly thought of something. "ne zha" isn't aiming for the number one box office in film history, is it?"

"That makes sense. But is this fair to other films?"

Don't say, there were quite a few people holding this view.

"Isn't Lin Chuyan's greed a bit too ugly?"

"Always talking about cultivating talent, supporting film directors, saving the film industry, and then doing this? You're not giving other films a way to survive, right?"

"Why don't the other films just stop showing? Why don't the cinemas just show "ne zha"? 5.6 billion in box office isn't enough? Isn't this too greedy?"

"Extend it if you want, but I will absolutely not watch "nezha 2". I boycott this kind of film with no integrity."

"Isn't this just Lin Chuyan dominating everything? What happened to the 'let a hundred flowers bloom'? Sad!"

Fortunately, Lin Chuyan had already anticipated these potential questioning voices — he had been slandered and fighting his way through for the past few years, how could he not be prepared?

Lin Chuyan used only one trick to leave everyone speechless.

This trick was also something he and Wu Yue had discussed: Want a key extension? Sure, but the cinema chains had to agree to one requirement: the screening percentage of "ne zha" could not exceed 20%.

In other words, the current "ne zha" was achieving a much higher box office share with a lower screening rate than others!

What is called crushing? This is it.

Lin Chuyan didn't even need to say a word; the fans were already using screenshots to slap the Haters in the face.

"Laughing to death. Come, let me show you the data. "ne zha" screening share is 18%, box office share is 29%. You tell me, whose film did you not give a way to survive? You were given a chance but you were useless!"

"I really don't understand the Haters' brain circuits. "ne zha" being able to sell tickets is its ability. This also supports the movie theaters. If it weren't for "ne zha", do you think this box office would have gone to other films? Wrong! It would have just disappeared! Do you understand? This is market behavior."

"Someone is unhappy that little "ne zha" is going to take the number one box office. Little "ne zha" has already done its best. The film in second place has a much higher screening share than us, okay!"

"While complaining about others extending the run, you don't have a single one that can fight... This is strength, don't get triggered."

"Our "ne zha" is just amazing. I'm planning to watch it again just to piss off the Haters."

"Triggered, and still 'sad'? You should be sad about why other films aren't good enough, instead of scolding Lin Chuyan here."

This matter wasn't over yet; the cinema chains also had something to say: If there's a misunderstanding, it needs to be clarified, right? On one hand, it was to let the audience feel at ease walking into the cinema; on the other hand, we also need to take care of Lin Chuyan's feelings — who knows what this guy is thinking right now? What if he gets emotional, wants to cherish his current 'good reputation,' and suddenly decides to pull the film... Wouldn't that be the end of us?

So, sorry. Lin Chuyan isn't explaining, right? We'll help him explain!

Soon, cinema staff came out one after another to give their side of the story.

"Seems like some people don't know? The extension of "ne zha" was actually us calling Lin Chuyan's side and asking him to extend the key... There's no way around it, the pre-sales for other films aren't selling well."

"As for why everyone sees that "ne zha" has a maximum screening share of 20%? Lin Chuyan's fans, don't scold us, because this was proposed by Lin Chuyan himself. If not, he wouldn't give the key... In short, I think he has done enough and done well."

"Scolding Lin Chuyan is really unreasonable. Let me say something blunt: he is the god of wealth for the cinemas right now, he is saving the lives of the cinemas. Also, you need to find your own way to survive. For those who really want to support other films, I suggest spending money to buy tickets, don't just talk trash online!"

From Lin Chuyan setting the "20% screening share" to the cinema staff speaking out, the Haters felt like they had suddenly been hit by two clubs, and for a moment, they didn't know what to say.

Damn, didn't the reversal come too fast? I just started scolding people, and it's already over? As for going to the cinema to watch a trash film? That is absolutely impossible.

...

And "ne zha", amidst such controversy, climbed silently.

On the afternoon of December 24th, "ne zha" box office reached 5.776 billion, officially surpassing the original number one, reaching the top of the domestic film history box office!

Lin Chuyan was also very emotional.

The scene of his long talk with Yang Xiaozhou through the night was still vivid in his mind, and now the two of them had finally realized the most important small plan within the big plan.

However, there was no need for him to say congratulations for "ne zha" reaching the top. As the boss, what he needed to do was to help everyone look to the future.

Lin Chuyan posted on Weibo, a post that countless netizens thought was him losing his mind.

"Is 5.7 billion a lot? I don't think 10 billion is much. "nezha 2", let's go!"